The popular standard 3-point hitch that is utilized on farm tractors for the attachment of various farm implements such as plow and harrow has also been utilized to tow trailers, wagons, parade floats and other such implements by means of a farm tractor. A standard 3-point hitch exists in several forms as for example one of the type in which a first and second load bar have their proximal ends attached to the tractor and their distal ends pivotally attached to the implement itself. The load bars are spaced apart and parallel to each other and are disposed in a horizontal plane relative to one another. The third point of a 3-point hitch is a connection either by a bar or by a chain between the lift mechanism on the tractor unit to a point or attachment pad on the implement which is located vertically above the horizontal plane in which the two load bars are attached to the implement. The third point of the 3-point hitch though described as utilized to lift the implement by means of the lift mechanism on the tractor unit, the actual forces of towing are carried by the load bars which, as described above, are spaced apart from each other. An alternative form of the 3-point hitch is one in which the aforementioned first two points which are low on the tractor body and horizontally disposed relative to one another are the lifting mechanism while the third higher point is a fixed point and not part of the lift mechanism. A number of variations on the standard 3-point hitch exist and these are but two of them. The popularity of the 3-point hitch has been that it is adaptable to a wide variety of implements and gives the flexibility of being able to utilize the lift mechanism of the standardly available farm tractors. Those lift mechanisms being either of the geared or the hydraulic lift type. In this way any implement which is attached to a suitably designed tractor with the standard 3-point hitch may be towed and also raised or lowered by means of the 3-point hitch assembly.
The 3-point hitch does pose additional problems for the operator of the tractor attempting to work the earth with an implement. With the implement in the lowered or working position the implement is held in a substantially rigid manner relative to the tractor unit thereby preventing the implement from being turned by the force of the tractor. If a farmer intends to turn a corner with plows or harrows in the working position, he is forced to make wide sweeping turns because of the rigidity with which the implement is maintained behind his tractor unit. The wide sweeping turns are possible but even these subject the implement and the tractor to considerable forces which are markedly different from the forces normally encountered in straight line use of the implement in earth working. When relatively small radius turns are necessary, the implement must be raised, the turn made by the tractor and then the implement lowered back to an earth working position only after the turn has been completed.
Additionally, problems have been encountered in the moving of grandstand assemblies of the type found around high schools and junior high schools, said grandstand assembly occasionally being required to be moved from location to location in order to accommodate the needs of various sport events and the increased or decreased needs for grandstands of various school facilities. In the past standard grandstand assemblies have been provided with skid type bases which can be dragged from location to location, however the use of these skids is impractical if the grandstand must be transported over a paved road surface or over any considerable distance.
Therefore, there is a need for an improvement in the 3-point hitch that will allow a tractor to make turns with an implement in the working or earth working type position without the necessity of having to raise the implement from its working position prior to making a turn. Additionally, there is a need for a method of transporting grandstands between locations by other than dragging them across the ground which tends to damage the grass and also result in damage to the grandstand from paved surfaces or other obstacles that lie in the path over which the grandstand must be transported.